3815 E. Bell Rd. #2400 Phoenix, AZ 85032 Phone: (602) 482-2116
FAX: (602) 482-9563
MS is Thought to be an Autoimmune Disease
The body’s own defense system attacks myelin, the fatty substance that surrounds
and protects the nerve fibers in the central nervous system. The nerve fibers themselves
can also be damaged. The damaged myelin forms scar tissue (sclerosis), which gives
the disease its name. When any part of the myelin sheath or nerve fiber is damaged
or destroyed, nerve impulses traveling to and from the brain and spinal cord are
distorted or interrupted, producing the variety of symptoms that can occur.
Most people with MS learn to cope with the disease and continue to lead satisfying,
productive lives.
Some Important Facts
· MS is a chronic, unpredictable neurological disease that affects the central nervous system.
· Different people are likely to experience very different symptoms.
· MS is different from muscular dystrophy (MD), which is a group of disorders that cause progressive and irreversible wasting away of muscle tissue. Although MD has some symptoms in common with MS—such as weakness and problems with walking—MD affects the muscles directly while MS affects the central nervous system.
· Most people with MS have a normal or near-normal life expectancy.
· The majority of people with MS do not become severely disabled.
· There are now FDA-approved medications that have been shown to reduce the number of relapses and "modify" or slow down the underlying course of MS.
· People who are diagnosed with a clinically isolated syndrome (CIS) have had one episode of neurologic damage that is similar to the damage that occurs in MS, but they have not yet met the criteria for a definite diagnosis of MS.
